It is known that a cameraman may need to adjust a camera tripod up to or over one hundred times a day. Each adjustment of the tripod requires the adjustments of at least three clamps (or more, as often there could be up to 9 clamps for adjusting a three stage tripod) which can be very arduous for the cameraman/tripod user. Therefore, it is known for a single combination clamp lever to be incorporated within a tripod leg which locks all the clamps on one leg with one single movement. The disadvantage of these types of tripod clamps is that the clamp lever is arranged on the first sliding stage of the leg and so will drop down (or shift up) when the leg is extended (or retracted), which makes it awkward for the cameraman to undertake the adjustment whilst also steadying the associated payload supported by the tripod, which can weigh anything from 10 kilos to 90 kilos in weight.
The weight of the payload means that the combined tripod and the payload have a high centre of gravity. If the clamp lever is arranged to be low, it is then difficult for the operator to adjust the tripod whilst it is supporting the payload. This can result in the tripod then becoming unstable, which is dangerous to the cameraman/tripod user given the weight of the payload.
Furthermore, it is also known for a tripod leg to incorporate a connection rod for operating a tripod leg brake, wherein the connection rod is located externally to the tripod leg and is adjacent to either the top surface, or the bottom surface, of the leg. The disadvantage of these known connection rods is that they add a significant amount of bulk to the tripod leg (particularly when the tripod is in a folded state) and are therefore prone to damage and/or being unintentionally caught by the cameraman/tripod user.
It is the purpose of this invention to overcome at least some of these problems.